True Justice
by AshZaku
Summary: Only true justice can bring peace." These were Avatar Kyoshi's words of wisdom to Aang; but was true justice truly carried out? See what happens in a world where the selfish acts of one cause the entire world to suffer. Post-Finale, ships not set.
1. True Justice?

True Justice

"My advice to you, Avatar Aang, is this. 'Only true justice can bring peace.'" Avatar Kyoshi's spirit stated coldly, her wispy blue form dissipating into the warm night air, the wind slowly carrying her back into the spirit world, leaving Aang sitting alone on the white stone dais.

"Even with all the power in the world, you are still weak!" Ozai shouted furiously, standing up and running towards Aang, preparing to shoot a fire blast straight through the back of his head.

However Aang, sensing Ozai's approach, sent his foot shooting back, leaning forward to dodge the blast while using his foot to earthbend the rock of the small plateau up around Ozai's wrist. Unable to free himself, Ozai attempted to shoot another blast at the Avatar, but succeeded only in getting his other hand trapped as well when Aang sent more rock up to close around it, sinking it back into the ground and bringing Ozai to a kneeling position, simply waving off Ozai's fire breath with a simple airbending gust and placing his hands on the Phoenix King's head and chest. He then took a deep breath and bowed his head, focusing all his mind on the words of the Lion Turtle.

Suddenly, Aang tilted his head back, his mouth and eyes emitting a strange blue light, piercing up into the sky. Ozai's eyes grew wide in shock, his mouth hanging agape; then a deep orange glow sprung from his own mouth and eyes, crossing the blue light as his head tilted upwards. The blue light quickly spread over Aang's entire body, orange repeating this process across Ozai's body. Soon the orange luminescence spread across the Avatar's hands and onto his torso, quickly encompassing his entire body and spreading up to his head, slowly creeping across his mouth and eyes, nearly wiping out any trace of the blue. But in an instant, the blue shone through again, racing back down Aang's form and over to Ozai, completely smothering any trace of the eerie orange glaze. The blue light shone in a concentrated beam upward, parting the clouds and lighting the way to the heavens.

Physically exhausted, Aang immediately released his hold on Ozai, staggering as Ozai's limp form slumped to the ground, fully standing up as the Fire Lord raised himself to a sitting position quickly bringing his fist up to blast Aang and end him once and for all...

...but nothing came out of his extended arm. Completely spent, he fell flat upon his back once more.

"What...What did you do to me?" The ruthless firebender gasped, barely fighting off unconsciousness.

Aang looked down at him with pity. "I took away your firebending, you can't use it to hurt or threaten anyone ever again."

And so the war was brought to an end. Ozai himself was imprisoned along with his daughter Azula, sentenced by the newly crowned Fire Lord Zuko to life within the dark confines of their most closely guarded prison. For a time, all was well in the world as the surviving nations struggled to rebuild their countries and continue their lives, determined to press on and pursue peace, a thought that for most of the people had been but a faint dream, a faded memory of days gone by.

But it was not to last. In fact, the worst of Ozai and Azula's wrath was yet to come.


	2. From the Ashes a Fire Shall be Woken

From the Ashes a Fire Shall be Woken

The ocean itself roughly lapped against the eastern shore of the Fire Nation, the summer swells bursting heartily against the black sands that dotted the beaches of the Grand Capital, the sun beginning to set down behind the western mountains painting the sky and ground in a pink and orange hue. The gulls and hawks darted down and up from the water's surface, hoping to ease their hunger with the koi and carp that populated the waters this time of year.

One such falcon, its plumage red with a gold streak running from head to tail, dove from an enormous height, grabbing a fairly large carp in its talons and retreating back towards the city, its direction towards the dormant volcano that housed the imperial summer residence evident. As it flew away, the royal seal could be clearly seen upon a ribbon tied to its leg, warning any that might have thoughts of roasted fowl for an evening meal that this particular specimen was not on the menu.

On a balcony overlooking the sea, the falcon landed on the outstretched arm of Fire Lord Zuko, who then relieved the bird of his prey, quickly and easily handing it to a nearby servant.

"Take this down to the kitchens, no doubt they can find a place for it in tonight's dinner."

"At one, your highness." The servant replied, hastily vanishing indoors as Zuko turned to his pet falcon, stroking his head gently with two fingers.

"Good job Zashun," Zuko whispered. "I'll be sure you get a very nice portion of that carp for later, don't you worry." Zashun merely looked at him with an air of content boredom, proud to have been of service but quickly tiring of the praise.

Zuko had taken up falconry just two months ago, but he was already beginning to appreciate the calming effect it seemed to have on him. He had taken up the hobby as a way to occupy his time in the aftermath of his catastrophic relationship with Mai, who had returned to her family's personal estates not long after. All in all, he hadn't been anywhere near as depressed as he had expected, in fact feeling a sort of bizarre relief and a renewed interest in not only his nation, but in his own personal happiness as well. Mai, he soon realized, had been exactly as he said on Ember Island, 'Just one big Blah.'

"Well my friend," he spoke again to the falcon, looking out over the sunset, seeing a black dot beginning to grow larger on the eastern horizon, "I think that I had best get myself prepared. It looks as if the guest of honor will be arriving soon."

He easily opened the door to his personal chambers and slipped inside, releasing Zashun from his arm so the falcon could make his way back to its private berth in the aviary.

Zuko immediately stripped and went into his bath, quickly cleaning himself up in the warm water that had been prepared just minutes beforehand. He then slipped out and got dressed, garbing himself in his finest red and gold silks, simply adjusting the crown upon his head so it settled better upon his hair. Zuko examined himself in the mirror, sighed, and went out to greet his guests.

Zuko had changed a bit in the 2 years since the end of the war, allowing his hair to grow out and down to his waist as was Fire Lord custom. His scar had faded a little bit more, the flesh still noticeably pinker against his fair complexion. All in all, these features, combined with his status as the ruler of the most industrious nation on the planet, had served to make him one of the most eligible bachelors, if not the most, in the entire world. But behind his golden eyes, he carried the knowledge and experience of a man twice his age. At the mere age of 19, he had seen sights that the world's greatest adventurers and explorers had never managed to see, had done things some of the most highly decorated men in the military and nobility had never done – would never be able to do.

As he made his way to the Palace courtyard, he couldn't help but think about how long it had been since he last saw the Avatar and his friends. The last time they had all been together was nearly a year ago, at Uncle Iroh's shop in Ba Sing Se. They had all been together, enjoying each other's company, sampling the delicious and exotic teas his uncle had made. During all of this, Zuko couldn't help but notice as Aang slipped out onto the balcony, and he also noted that Katara followed soon after. He would have followed them, seen what they were up to, and might have even prevented it, but Mai chose that moment to latch onto his arm and beg him to take her for a walk around the city. Looking sullenly at the then empty doorway, he had consented.

Now, a year later, the whole Gaang had reunited to come see him, to celebrate the second anniversary of his reign – and of Ozai's defeat at Aang's hands.

The man didn't really do much other than stare at the wall of his cell nowadays. After the first few weeks, he had stopped banging on the bars, screaming at the guards about how he was their rightful lord, not that upstart disgrace of a son. This wasn't because he no longer thought that, of course, but more because he realized that his son, although a fool and a traitor, was nowhere near stupid enough to place guards whose loyalty was in question around his most important and potentially dangerous prisoner. He was also willing to admit that the anguished and furious screams that ripped through the tower had plagued his nights, preventing him from having much energy to keep up his loud rants for long.

_At least the boy shows some measure of respect,_ he thought, his eyes following a particularly large spider-roach as it expanded its web. _The boy doesn't dare beat me, even to glean information about his whore of a mother. Or perhaps its his weakness that prevents him from doing it. That weakling the Avatar has polluted his mind with pacifistic dribble. I'll bet he doesn't even eat meat anymore, and I wouldn't be surprised if he came down here one day with a shaved head and those heathen tattoos, to tell me he's leaving to lead the life of an Air Monk! _The man continued to watch as a fly became trapped in the pseudo-arachnid's web, the bug being instantly set upon by the much larger spider-roach.

_Why is it, I wonder, that these fools no longer listen? Have they forgotten what we were? What we ARE? We are Fire, we are the greatest element, the true masters of this world! We are as that spider, the predator, the dominant race. We feed upon the lower, the heathenish, the barbaric other peoples that poison the world every moment that they are allowed to defy us! We must show them their place, and grind them beneath our heel! It is our right, it is our destiny, it is-_

His train of thought was interrupted as the screams began again, the voice that called them shrill and harsh. He quickly covered his ears and squeezed his eyes shut. _No, not again. Not when I am finally at peace!_

At one point the screams had been words, the voice commanding and noticeably feminine. It cursed the guards, much as Ozai did, demanding that they release her, swearing oaths about what its owner would do to the offending guards when she regained her freedom. But now, after so long alone in the dark, they merely became soundless cries, brought along by the madness that now gripped her mind, the same madness that had always lingered at the fringes of her family's mind. Most had been able to at least contain it, channel it into their political and military dealings, using it to their advantage. And she had, for a time, until the betrayal of the only two people she had ever really trusted. After that, she had only him, and their relationship wasn't one of trust, merely of respect and duty; of command and loyalty; of master and pupil; of Father and daughter.

_Listen to her,_ the ex-noble thought again, finally able to block out the anguished cries. _She was to be the greatest of my lieutenants once, the most trusted of my advisors. She lost everything as surely as I did, and her own brother has sent her to rot here along with me, never to see the light of day; to feel the Sun's warmth upon our face and backs; to revel in the wonder and greatness of our beautiful fire, our magnificent and pure element._

As he focused back on the screams, he began to faintly make out words amidst the rabid screeches and guttural noises:

"-dash your heads upon the ground and have your bodies fed to the vultures! My brother thinks he has beaten me, him and his water wench! I will skin them both alive and make him watch as I let her be violated in every conceivable sense of the word! I will not kill him...no, never kill him, he is a traitor! Death is far too merciful! I will let him know my fury, let him know what its like, to be left all alone in the dark! Alone, alone, alone...No, no NO! NO! Please, don't leave me alone! Please, please don't leave me alone in the dark! NOOOOO! Please-"

Ozai closed out his daughter's rambling again, not bearing to hear her pained whimpers as the terror gripped her. Instead he focused upon his hand, focusing all his energy into it, attempting to create even the barest hint of warmth, the tiniest flicker of flame as he had done only scant years before, This attempt, as so many others before it, failed; he had truly lost the gift permanently. He slumped his head back against the wall, lost in thought.

_We are not beaten yet, dear Azula. This I can promise you. We will find a way, do not worry; somehow, we will reclaim our lost throne, and set to right the wrongs that have been done to us. _

Had he not been so intent on his thoughts of vengeance and his daughter's cries of mental agony, he might have seen the unusual figure staring into the window in the door of his room, the guards set to protect it laying unconscious all around him.


	3. A Light From the Shadows Shall Spring

A Light From the Shadows Shall Spring

**A/N**: Hey all, I wanna say thanks to all of y'all that reviewed, and to ask those of you who didn't to please do so. This is my first real story, and I could really use the feedback!

Disclaimer: If I owned Avatar, suffice it to say that the events in this story wouldn't have to happen.

He had infiltrated the prison with nearly surgical precision. He worked his way through the halls silently, thankful for the prison's infamous record of near-total darkness at its lower levels. The guards had no idea of his presence until he was upon them, feeling only the swift crack of pain as his studded cudgel slammed into their heads. On one occasion, the crude instrument made a chance hit on a guard's helmet, hitting a portion of the metal whose integrity had been accidentally compromised during the forging process, causing the back of the helm to cave in, along with the unlucky man's head. The interloper looked down at the corpse, smiled behind his mask, and continued on; not even bothering to hide the body or clean the hair and blood off the end of the cudgel.

This man now looked in at the disheveled ex-ruler, watching as he muttered aimlessly, obviously attempting to drown out the screams coming from further down in the deeps. _By all the Spirits_, he thought behind his mask, his mouth nearly a mirror of that upon his false visage, _how the mighty have fallen. A true example of how the barbarians fear our strength, and how their monstrous champion attempts to halt the march of progress, attempts to keep us from achieving our birthright! _He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. _No, not now. First, I need to get him out of here._

He quickly moved the bodies out of the way, making a space for him to work. Pulling a small jar from his pocket, he broke the seal and stuck his finger into it, taking out some of the blasting jelly on his fingertips and smearing it along the intersection of the door and door jamb. After he placed a significant quantity around the lock and hinges, he retreated from the door, bracing himself against the corner at the farthest end of the hallway, being certain he had a clear angle on the door from there. In quick measure, he bent three small fire blasts, one headed to each of the 3 pockets of jelly he had planted on the door. The jelly ignited, blowing off the hinges and completely shattering the lock with a loud explosion, the interloper instinctively guarding his face with his hands, feeling the smoke burning his nose and throat as it clogged the passage. As it cleared, he moved quickly through the doorway, striding smoothly and confidently to greet his master.

"Finally! LAND!" Toph screamed as she hopped off Appa, earthbending a portion of the ground into her arms to give it a proper hug as the honor guard in the courtyard looked on, eyebrows raised.

The rest of the Gaang, used to such action by their rowdy tough girl, set about unloading their things and stretching themselves out, working their muscles after the long flight over the last few days. Appa, soon after his passengers had departed, collapsed on the stones and fell asleep. They had been traveling for the better part of a week, from the Avatar's residence in Ba Sing Se down to Kyoshi Island and up to the north to Toph's personal estate along the northern coasts (she still couldn't stand her parents, having gone back for all of 3 weeks before she escaped again, this time taking a decent portion of her inheritance with her), and all of this _before_ the long, 2 day straight trip across the ocean to the Fire Nation Capital.

"Thanks a bunch Appa, you go ahead and rest." Sokka said, patting the Sky Bison's head softly. He turned away from the giant fuzzball, who was now snoring contentedly, and caught sight of a figure moving across the courtyard, the guards bowing to hom as he passed. Were it not for the scar across the left side of the approaching man's face, Sokka would have pulled out his sword and started screaming that Ozai was loose again. As it was, he merely walked confidently across to meet him, sticking out his arm when got closer. The man grasped his arm by the wrist, pulling him in and wrapping his other arm around Sokka's shoulder, embracing him. They parted, Sokka eying him up and down.

"Zuko, its good to see you again."

Zuko beamed at him, looking Sokka from head to toe and back up again as Suki walked over and joined them. "Hello again Sokka, Suki; how have you been?"

Sokka had changed in the 2 years of peace, keeping the same hairstyle but letting it grow out a little, the topknot now to a length where bangs fell across his wide forehead. His frame had become more muscled, having taken up a life of hard work, after having the option of finally settling down after the war.

Suki, if anything, had become more lovely, her skin having to it a healthy tone and color. Her hair had grown out and down to her waist, her slim form accentuated by the long, flowing waves of brown.

Of course, the most noticeable feature about both her and Sokka were the twin bands of gold around their ring fingers, as well as the green, hand-carved crystal pendant hanging on a ribbon around her neck, something Zuko noticed right away. "The two of you...?" he began to say:

Sokka responded immediately "Yes, just two months ago."

Zuko was at a loss. "Well...congratulations!" He sputtered, amazed and ecstatic for the both of them. Part of him had known this would happen, of course, but he never imagined it would be so soon, or that he'd learn about it like this.

He was about to ask when the ceremony was, what their plans were, if there was anything he could do, when he suddenly got tackled to the ground by the combined force of a flying lemur and the Avatar slamming into him, crushing him in a tight hug.

"Zuko! How ya been, buddy?" Aang shouted, laughing as he and Zuko fell to the ground in a tangled mess. Aang, despite growing a decent amount and his voice deepening, giving him the voice of a young man, was still the same goofy kid he'd always been. Toph joined Aang in his crushing hug as soon as Zuko managed to right himself, nearly threatening to have him topple over again.

Toph herself looked far more mature, as if she had gained all the maturity that Aang had refused. She still enjoyed acting like a child, but it was obvious that she had grown up a lot, her body displaying this as readily as her bearing. She had truly begun to gain a feminine shape, her curves evident but still obviously developing. Her hair, however, was still the relative mess it had always been, and her clothes were stained with dirt and grime from her previous earth-hug.

"Toph, Aang, it is good to see you both, how has it been living on your own Toph?"

"Its been alright Sparky. Miss having you guys around to mes with though. I actually ended up paying a few local kids to act like you for awhile, but then I decided they just couldn't compare to the real things." Hearing this, Zuko couldn't help but laugh. That seemed like something he would do, so he couldn't say he was surprised.

"How about you Aang? Been keeping my Uncle busy?"

"Yeah, he and I have been having all kinds of fun! We went out into the Outer City with Katara just last week and did some camping in the mountains, just like the old days."

Zuko couldn't help but feel a pang in his chest when Aang mentioned Katara. Not that he would ever tell Aang this, but he just couldn't stand the thought of them together. Zuko reflexively brought his hand to his chest, feeling the scar he earned there two years ago tingle. He just couldn't imagine the two of them together, not after all he and Katara went through in those final days. But, if they made each other happy, then Zuko knew better than to interfere. "Speaking of Katara..." he began, looking around, "where is she?"

"She's right here," a voice said, its owner coming around from behind Appa. Zuko turned his head towards the voice, and his eyes opened wide. Katara, beautiful the last time he had seen her, had become even more so now. Her hair, still long and gorgeous, had been tied into a ponytail that went down to the small of her back. Her mocha skin had gotten darker and richer while her shape had begun to truly fill out, marking her as the young woman she had become.

As she approached, Zuko couldn't help but move towards her as well, walking as if in a trance. Zuko wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly against him as she returned his embrace. When they broke apart, Zuko looked down at her, drinking in her shape. "Wow, Katara," he said finally, after what seemed like an eternity, "you look amazing."

Katara adjusted her gaze downward, a slight blush beginning to creep across her cheeks. "Thanks Zuko...you look very nice as well." She then turned her gaze upward, returning his stare as each second seemed to drag on for hours.

Sokka, looking on from a few feet away, ruined the moment with his stomach growling. "Hey, Fire Lord," he called out, pulling Zuko back into the present. "You have any sort of food prepared for us?"

"Oh, yes...yes of course," he responded, still attempting to return his thoughts to the task at hand. "Follow me, everyone, I'll show you to you rooms so you can clean yourselves up, and then we can have the feast that the cooks have prepared for us." he smiled, calling out to the guards to move Appa to his room in the stables as he led the small group towards the guest wing.

Ozai, suddenly shocked back to reality by the sound and light of the blast, turned his head towards the doorway as the mysterious figure walked in. "Who are you?" he demanded, rising to his feet and walking towards the bars of his cell. "What is it you want? Answer me!"

It was then that the smoke began to clear, and Ozai could see the mask clearly. It was in the shape of a spirit's face, and glossy. While he couldn't make out the color just yet, he felt he knew it. "The Blue Spirit?! What are you doing here?" He exclaimed. It was only after the smoke fully cleared that he grasped how wrong he truly was.

The mask certainly had a similar shape to it, but it was definitely not the Blue Spirit. The face, which was depicted in a vicious, cruel sneer, had been painted with red. The ears and rimming around the eyes and mouth, however, in addition to the teeth, were black as pitch. While it wasn't the Blue Spirit, Ozai knew this face as well.

_The Red Demon_, he thought, eyes widening, not sure what to make of it. While the Blue Spirit was a being of mischief in the Fire Nation mythology, a cunning trickster who delighted in playing pranks on others, the Red Demon, his twin, was a different matter entirely. The Red Demon was a spirit of cruelty, a being who delighted in the suffering of others, cheating them out of their gains and torturing them for his own sadistic pleasure. It was said he despised his twin with all his soul, and that while the Blue Spirit wielded broadswords, weapons of skill and precision, the Demon proffered a pair of metal studded cudgels, weapons that were clumsy and brutal, capable of crushing bone with ease, but that took much effort to truly take a life. This weapon allowed the Demon to exact suffering from his victims, drawing out their torment for his own designs. These weapons, Ozai quickly noted, were set at the figure's sides, blood smeared across the end of one of them.

It took Ozai a moment to recover. "Why have you come for me? Do you desire to take your cruel pleasures out on my flesh for my failures? If so, then be quick about it. I may as well be dead, after my cowardly traitor of a son has thrown me here to rot."

"Yes, he has." The Demon said in a low, thick voice. Ozai was startled at the voice, sounding oddly familiar to him. The Demon quickly dropped to his knee before Ozai. "Master, if you desire your throne and your power, your daughter and your life back, if you would bring the Fire Nation back to its time of pure and gracious glory, then come with me." The masked individual rose and turned, beckoning him to follow. "Quickly." Ozai, still skeptical but realizing that, truly, he had no other choice, slowly stumbled out of the chamber after him, for the first time since his imprisonment daring to feel hopeful about his plans.


End file.
